Alicia Powers, associate professor in the Health Sciences Department,
joined the Furman faculty in 2007. Powers teaches the Research and
Evaluation course as well as the Advanced Nutrition
Course for the Health Sciences Department. In addition, she serves as
the Health Sciences Majors Club advisor and involves more than 25
students each year in her research and service projects.

Powers also serves as the principal investigator for LiveWell
Greenville. LiveWell Greenville is a partnership of dozens of public and
private organizations that aims to make Greenville County a healthier
place to live, work and play. Formed five years ago
by a partnership between YMCA of Greenville, Furman University,
Greenville Hospital System and Piedmont Health Foundation, the coalition
has engaged more than 100 key partners in crafting plans to create
policies, systems and environments in our community
to make living well easier. From grassroots efforts, to specific
partner projects, to county-level initiatives, LiveWell Greenville works
on all levels to improve the health of Greenville residents. Powers
serves as the evaluation consultant for all projects
associated with LiveWell Greenville and has helped garner more than $3
million dollars in funds to support LiveWell’s work.

Powers graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Nutrition and Food Science
from Auburn University. She then completed her MS in Nutrition and Food
Science with an emphasis in Sports Nutrition at Auburn University. Her
thesis research was entitled, “Investigation
of Nutrition Education’s Influence on Student Nutrition Knowledge and
Behavior.” While pursuing her MS, Powers served as a Graduate Research
Assistant with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education
Program where she assisted in the evaluation.
Powers received her PhD in Nutrition and Food Systems with a focus in
Public Health Nutrition and Community Based Participatory Research at
The University of Southern Mississippi. Her dissertation research was
entitled, “Process Evaluation of Fit for Life
Steps, a Community Based Participatory Research Project.” While
pursuing her PhD, Powers served as a graduate Research Assistant with
the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative
and served as an adjunct instructor for the Department
of Nutrition and Food Systems. She also served as an adjunct instructor
for the Department of Biological Sciences at Pearl River Community
College, Forrest County Campus. Her husband, Sam, is a firefighter for
the City of Greenville. They have a son, Cole,
and a Golden Retriever, Timber.

HSC-201

Research & Evaluation in HSC

Principles of research relevant to health and exercise science focusing on methodology, measurement, and statistical techniques used in the analysis and interpretation of human performance data. Integration of statistical software functions and communication technology used for problem solving. It is recommended that this course be enrolled early in the major.

HSC-315

Fundamentals of Nutrition

In-depth continuation of the study of nutrition as presented in HSC-101. Study of the structure, function and selection of food to resist disease, improve health and support maximum human performance.

HSC-415

Advanced Nutrition Principles

Integration of principles of nutrition, etiology of prevalent chronic diseases, exercise physiology and physiology of aging with the purpose of preventing and managing prevalent chronic diseases, optimizing human performance and maximizing quality of life throughout the life cycle.

Lyerly, R., Powers, A. (In progress). Reliability and validity of community resident and researcher completed Walking and Biking Suitability Assessments in an African American community. Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

Eck, S., Struempler, B., Powers (Raby), A. (2005). Once Upon a Time in America: An interactive nutrition evaluation. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 37, 46‐47.

Faculty Tab4 description

Students can get involved with any research/service I am conducting by
volunteering with my current research/service projects and by working
during the summer. If you are interested in
any of these options, please contact me.

My current research/service focuses on policy, system and environmental
approaches to combat obesity rates in Greenville County. As a result,
the majority of my professional activity occurs in partnership with
LiveWell Greenville (www.livewellgreenville.org).
LiveWell Greenville is a comprehensive policy, system and environmental
approach to combat childhood obesity in Greenville County. This
coalition's work focuses its efforts in eight workgroups:

At Mealtime (Access to Healthy Foods)

For Fun (Access to Parks and Other Recreation Facilities)

Around Town (Active and Public Transit)

At the Doctor (Healthcare)

At Worship (Faith-based)

Out of School

At School

At Work

In addition, the leadership team and communications team oversee needs
of all workgroups. Powers serves in multiple capacities for this
organization, but will highlight her work as the evaluation liaison.
Some examples of evaluation activities associated with
LiveWell Greenville and its workgroups are highlighted below.

At Mealtime. Evaluation efforts of this workgroup have focused on
determination of food deserts in Greenville County as well as evaluation
of a specific project associated with workgroup activity.

The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) project measures
availability, pricing and quality of specific healthy and regular items
within stores and restaurants. A composite score is computed for each
store or restaurant, which can then be used for
comparisons and mapping. The County of Greenville NEMS will be
completed in Summer 2013. Presentations have been made at the South
Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Scientific Obesity Retreat,
Piedmont Health Foundation Board Meeting, and Furman
Engaged.

LiveWell Greenville Access to Healthy Foods workgroup, the Greenville
County Recreation District (GCRD), Rhino Concessions and Furman
University partnered to increase the number of healthy menu options and
marketing of healthy menu options at waterparks operated
by GCRD. After receiving a grant from the Piedmont Health Foundation,
the partners worked together to identify healthy products, highlight
these products with the LiveWell Greenville logo on newly designed menu
boards, and advertise these products through
point-of-purchase promotions. The purpose of the study was to determine
if an increase in the variety, menu labeling, targeted advertising, taste testing and/or coupon promotions of healthy menu options at
waterparks influenced the purchase of healthy menu
options. Results from this study were presented at the South Carolina
Clinical and Translational Research Scientific Obesity Retreat. This
work will be expanded to other settings in the near future.

Out of School. The LiveWell Out of School pilot initiative was launched
in August 2011 in nine facilities operated by five of the largest out of
school providers in the County. A pre-assessment and post-assessment
framed this pilot. After modifying the Nutrition
and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC), a
front line staff member and administrator of the out of school providers
involved in the pilot initiative completed the NAP SACC as the
pre-assessment. This particular instrument gauged environments
and policies that might support or deter healthy eating and physical
activity while at the out of school facility. Based on the report from
the pre-assessment findings, LiveWell Greenville provided technical
assistance during an action planning stage to determine
policies or environments that could be changed to promote healthy
eating and active living at the out of school facility. After a one year
period of implementation for the action plan, a front line staff member
and administrator of the out of school providers
involved in the pilot completed the NAP SACC as a post-assessment in
September 2012. Findings from the post-assessments will be used to gauge
success of each facility but also success of the pilot initiative.
Plans are underway to expand this pilot to 60 out
of school providers in the County of Greenville as a result of the
funding received by the Community Transformation Grant Small Communities
Program.

At School. Assessment activities are just beginning for the efforts
occurring the Greenville County School District (GCSD) concerning
healthy eating and active living. LiveWell Greenville recently garnered
support from GCSD to conduct a repeat of the 2008 Greenville
County Childhood Obesity Study that provided the impetus for LiveWell
Greenville. At the beginning of the 2011 academic year, Culinary
Creations Initiative (CCI) was implemented in 11 elementary schools.
This effort focuses on improving the school nutrition
environment through policy changes targeting the cafeteria, classroom
incentives and fundraising events in elementary schools. At the
beginning of the 2012 academic year, CCI was implemented in an
additional 18 elementary schools. The Elementary Student Body
Mass Index (BMI) and School Environment Study will begin in October
2012. Presentations of training protocols were provided to physical
education teachers and school nurses, who will be assisting in data collection for this study.

Powers, A. (2012). How to do a BMI. The Epidemic of Obesity: What Can a
School Nurse Do? Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center,
Greenville, SC. (PDF - GHS 2012)

Powers, A., The, N. (2012) BMI and the school environment. Greenville
County School District Physical Educator Summer Training, Greenville,
SC.

LiveWell. The following presentations were provided in various settings
to describe the scope of LiveWell's work, the evaluation framework used
for LiveWell Greenville and other projects that resulted from work
associated with LiveWell Greenville.

Many student research assistants assisted in this work in which we
partnered with a local supermarket chain to obtain data on any items
purchased in March 2008. The local supermarket chain provided
information on frequency of purchase of items by SNAP participants
and non-SNAP participants. Student research assistants gathered
nutrition information on all food items purchased. Currently, analysis
to allow for comparison of food groups and nutrient density within the
food groups between SNAP participants and non-SNAP
participants is underway. This research will provide information that
has not yet been reported in order to better inform policies influencing
SNAP distribution.

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